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1. INTRODUCTION
The impact of new technologies on museums is high and can be studied from a number of
standpoints. The research carried out so far has proved that technological as well as
organisational innovations play an important part in achieving performance in cultural
organisations [1]. Through technology, museums can manage their collections better, offer
unforgettable experiences to their visitors and exceed their physical limits by using online
distribution and communication channels [2]. Also, through technological innovations
museums achieve a competitive advantage by providing better visiting experiences. This
results into a higher number of visitors that are attracted and an increase in museums’ own
income. Therefore, one of the important reasons for which museums innovate is that they are
trying to increase the income they attract directly from their beneficiaries to compensate for
the decline of public funding allocations [3].
Although in both the private and the public sectors innovation strategies aim at increasing the
number of clients/beneficiaries, the effects of the application of such strategies in the two
sectors are slightly different. Whereas trading companies innovate in order to acquire an
advantage over their competitors, in the museum sector the same strategies have in view to
increase the attractiveness of a museum, but it is little probable that they can result in a
decrease of visitors in another museum. Given that most museums are considered not
interesting enough by a large number of people, a museum which uses technological
innovations to differentiate itself from other museums will attract a larger number of visitors,
without this leading to smaller numbers of visitors to other museums. This happens as a result
of the fact that Romanian museums have quite low competitiveness and do not succeed,
through the services they offer, to cover the entire potential market. More exactly, in Romania
there is a large number of museum non-visitors. For example, in the year 2014, 70% of the
Romanians did not visit one single heritage site outside their home towns [4].
On the other hand, technology can represent a threat to more conservative museums which
resist change. Due to technology, the Internet and the higher access to information and
products from afar, many museum experts are concerned that in the future the public might
prefer digital images and virtual experiences to static works of art [5].
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This duality of technology, which can give rise to both advantages and disadvantages, can
lead to many museums not taking any action towards technological innovation. Marchetti &
Valente [6] assert that museums do not adopt new technology on a larger scale because they
do not understand clearly its role in the innovation process. According to these authors, many
museums prefer to keep their old low-tech settings which are perceived to be (nearly) as
captivating/engaging, but less disturbing, cheaper and easier to maintain.
Taking into account these considerations, the first part of our study presents a synthesis of the
technological innovations which can be used by museums. The research in the second part
analyses the degree to which new technologies are used by the museums in Baia Mare in
comparison with the international trends and offers a series of recommendations for the future
technological development of these museums with a view to increasing their competitiveness.
2. THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY BY MUSEUMS
The expression “business innovativity” refers to the extent to which a company is able to
create new products and services by using knowledge gathered from its consumers,
competitors and technology [3]. Museum innovation was defined by Eid [7] as the creation of
novel or improved products, processes or business models through which museums can fulfil
their social and cultural mission efficiently. Vicente et al. [8] group museum innovation into
three categories: technological innovation in management, technological innovation in visitor
experience and organisational innovation.
The technological innovation consists of adopting new technologies to be applied to products,
services or production processes [3]. According to Black & Skinner [9] the technological
innovation is the means through which museums can offer people an active visiting
experience. People who visit museums are in search of a pleasant social outing, but also wish
to discover new things and broaden their horizons [9]. For this reason, learning must be
embedded in a social activity which combines relaxation, conversation, social interaction,
participation and collaboration. Innovating approaches and the development of a participating
content with the help of modern technology are ways through which museums can rise to this
standard. Below are presented the chief fields in which museums can use modern
technologies successfully so as to become more competitive.
2.1 Technological innovations in collection management
Since the function of museums is the record keeping and preservation of heritage, any
software which helps organise and manage a digital data base including all the items held by a
museum is particularly useful. Electronic data bases facilitate the management, collection and
storing of information and based on them can be generated reports on the movement of items
within and outside the museum, the number of exhibitions for each item and the restoration
procedures to which each item was subjected. They also help systematise and display the
information about the museum’s visitors, income and exhibited collections. Such information,
in its turn, simplifies the experts’ task of conducting research on the museum’s collections
[10].
In Romania the National Heritage Institute puts at the disposal of museums a programme
entitled DOCPAT. After the digitalisation of their patrimonies, museums can use the Internet
in order to facilitate the access of the public to images and information about their collections.
However, many museums are reluctant to offer the public access to their collections for two
reasons: the access is unlimited and free, and the museum is unable to control the way in
which the images of the items in its patrimony will be used subsequently. A possible solution
to this problem might be for museums to offer access to their data base based on online
registration and subscription. In other words, by using modern technological solutions,
museums could create data bases, which could be individual for each museum or centralised
on a national scale. The advantages of the creation of a national data base are many: (1) the
data base could include all the museums, even the ones that do not have the necessary
resources (human, material, etc.) for the creation and management of a data base; (2) from the
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users’ point of view, the value they are offered is much higher (this is an important factor
towards the market success of the project); (3) the museums will not have to manage their
incomes individually, since these will be managed by the data base administrators, after
which, on an annual basis, each museum will receive a share of the amounts collected,
depending on how many times the items in their respective collection were accessed/viewed.
2.2 Technological innovations aiming at improving the visiting experience
From the point of view of the visiting experience offered to the public, the main media used
within exhibitions are the following [11]:
• Audio-visual media used attractively as part of passive presentations. This generally
means video presentations on simple screens or projected on a wall.
• Guided presentation with the help of audio guides, video projections and other means
which accompany the visitors throughout their visit and are offered as an alternative to the
guide tours made by museum experts.
• Interactive navigation stations including information about the museum’s collections and
educational programmes (usually “push the button” stalls and easy to learn interfaces).
• Media that offer opportunities for direct creation or production, take-away experiences,
interactive and innovative experiences.
The multimedia elements within the exhibitions fulfil a number of functions, such as: offering
explanation; showing exhibits that the museum is unable to put on display directly, due to
insufficient space, fragility of such items or the fact that they need special handling; making
the visitors feel a certain emotion and facilitating visitors’ involvement and interaction with
the museum exhibits [10].
In recent years museum technological innovations have involved the implementation of such
solutions which would allow the visitors to act as active participants. Thus, the emphasis lays
on interactive exhibitions where visitors can interact in various ways with the content of the
exhibition rather than just receive information passively. In this respect, the latest museum
technologies include hands-on interactive exhibits, which allow visitors to learn various
things while interacting with the exhibits, as well as simulation media, interactive films, 3D
graphics and, last but not least, virtual reality through which visitors can travel in space and
time, without actually having to leave the museum buildings [11].
New technologies can be used by museums in order to develop their edutainment (education
through entertainment) content and improve the quality of the services offered to their
visitors. In this respect, Lepouras & Vassilakis [12] propose the use of 3D game-playing
technologies with the purpose of developing accessible virtual media that are easy and
pleasant to handle. As the authors state, the advantage of virtual reality technologies is that
they provide museum visitors with a vivid, pleasant and realistic experience. Virtual reality
technologies are also very useful for visualisation and simulation of environments, buildings
or objects which no longer exist or are not accessible for visitation [12].
The application of modern technologies is a must, firstly for science and technology museums
as part of the process of informal education provided by these museums to visitors. For
example, the Museum of Science in Boston uses interactive technologies which offer not only
the possibility of conveying to visitors information about nanotechnology, but also a way of
getting the visitors involved and stimulate them to express their own ideas and opinions about
the subject under discussion [13]. In another case a museum showcases an immersive virtual
medium which enables students to live in a gorilla habitat, assume the personality of a teenage
gorilla and interact, as a member, with a gorilla family [12]. Although these technologies were
used for the first time by science museums, Gül & Akmehmet [14] state that there are more
and more museums of art worldwide which have interactive spaces/objects. This proves that,
whatever their types, museums can use modern technologies so as to offer their visitors an
unforgettable experience.
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2.3 Technological innovations aiming at process and activity automation
The process of ticket purchase has started to change under the influence of technological
innovations. Although the greatest majority of museums, through their employees, are still
selling tickets for cash, there are now museums where tickets can be purchased from an
electronic machine. The advantages of the latter are that visitors can pay by card in a number
of different currencies and the fact that the machine has a 4-language interface. An even
higher level of innovation can be found in the museums which offer their visitors the
possibility of buying tickets online. This is an important advantage for the tourists who are
planning their trips themselves. It also proves to be very convenient from the museums’ point
of view, since in this way any possible queues growing in front of ticket desks is eliminated.
By combining these technological solutions with the co-operation strategies, museums can
offer an even higher value to their visitors. This is the case of 11 museums in Venice which
sell online a unique common entry pass for all the 11 museums.
2.4 Web-based technological innovations
Museums can use the Internet as a product and service distribution channel [15] or as a
communication and promotion means. In Romanian museums online distribution is generally
free; museums offer virtual visitation and provide access to various educational and
informational resources. In other countries museums also offer, besides the things above,
electronic shops where various products are sold. An example is the Hermitage Museum
which sells online souvenirs worldwide [16].
The Internet is also a means of promoting a museum’s mission and events and encourages the
attendance and involvement of the public in the activities provided by the museum. All these,
in their turn, generate higher public awareness on cultural values, the community’s support
through volunteering, donations and grant earning [17]. The most important social media
instruments which must be taken into consideration include the following: image distribution
(i.e., via Instagram), podcasts (i.e., via soundcloud, iTunes or TuneIn), microblogs (Twitter),
blogs, social networks (Facebook, Google Plus etc.), virtual worlds, online interactive exhibits
and video distribution (Youtube) [17].
2.5 Technological innovations used for resource and operation management
The introduction of modern technologies in order to minimise the consumption of non-
regenerating resources requires in the first place important investments which few museums
are able to make. Things are simpler when new museum buildings are erected or structure
extensions are built. The new structures can be designed to be highly energy-efficient. The
advantage comes from the fact that in the long run the museum’s operating expenses will be
smaller. Also, in this way museums will apply to a larger extent the principles of sustainable
development, improve their image on the market and become an example of good practice for
other organisations.
Modern technologies can also be used for an easier and more efficient management of the
operations carried out within museums. In this category can be included anything from stock
management systems to the software used for carrying out certain functions, such as
accounting, purchase and human resources.
3. METHODS
The purpose of this research is to analyse the extent to which new technologies are used by
the museums in Baia Mare and identify ways of increasing the competitiveness of these
museums through technological innovation. This research was carried out in the context of
Baia Mare being shortlisted for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2021. The
usefulness of our research results from the fact that the city’s cultural development is closely
linked to the development of its cultural institutions. It is well known that museums are
among the main cultural tourist attractions. Thus, the existence of attractive museums in a city
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can contribute to its tourist development. In the current competitive context, any effort
towards bettering the landscape and organising cultural events in order to attract tourists is not
enough. One single weak point in comparison with other cities (such as unattractive
museums) can make the difference between a developed tourist community and one which
has failed to arouse tourists’ interest. Therefore, we believe that this research can prove useful
not only for the studied museums, but for the entire city of Baia Mare, its inhabitants and its
neighbouring regions.
In order to attain our purpose, in the period 22-23 May 2016 we visited the following
museums: “The Artistic Centre Baia Mare” County Museum of Art, the Maramureş County
Museum of History and Archaeology, the County Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art, the
Museum of Mineralogy and the Astronomical Complex Baia Mare. We analysed the visual
identities of these museums on the Internet (sites, blogs, and Facebook, Youtube and Twitter
accounts). The collected data were correlated with the conclusions presented in the literature,
the authors’ experiences visiting other museums and the information collected online about
other Romanian museums. Below are synthesised the most important results of our research.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Following the analysis that we carried out, we found that all the museums in Baia Mare
organise video projections using various learning aids on a regular basis. Besides these video
projections some museums use other technologies as well with a view to improving the
visiting experience they offer. Although the exhibitions of the museums in Baia Mare include
to a certain extent modern technologies, these are unidirectional, i.e. they do not allow the
visitors to take part and get involved actively.
The Astronomical Complex in Baia Mare has a hall equipped with LCD screens where
educative materials about the Universe and our solar system are shown. Visitors can listen to
the explanations provided on headphones connected to these screens. On one of the walls of
the same hall, children can watch learning video films adapted for young audience. In another
room there is a SKYMASTER ZKP4 LED planetarium projector. This is a “modern optical-
mechanical stellar projector using optic fibre, the LED technology and industrial computers in
order to simulate a sky studded with over 7,000 stars, installed in the 6-metre dome, renovated
and provided with comfortable armchairs, a sound system and a ventilation system”
(https://planetariubm.ro/prezentare/). The complex also has a number of telescopes visitors
can use to explore the sky.
At the Museum of Mineralogy, inside the exhibition hall, there is a screen on which
documentaries about the museum, its exhibits and mining are shown. In front of it there are
chairs so visitors feel welcome to watch these materials.
The strong point of the Museum of Art is the sound system through which instrumental and
classical music is played in the exhibition halls, which improves the quality of the visiting
experience. The same museum has also a number of LCD screens inside its permanent
exhibition halls, but these are used only at times. On the occasion of the Night of Museums a
functional screen was placed at the entry and projections of video documentaries took place
upstairs. A shortcoming was that no chairs were put in front of these screens so visitors could
sit and watch the video materials.
At the central premises of the Museum of History and Archaeology there are no modern
technological solutions used in order to improve the visiting experience. However, at the
Butchers’ Bastion, a site belonging to this museum, there is a documentary projecting system
which is used regularly. At the County Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art they also play
from time to time films on ethnographic subjects.
As for the technologies used on the web, we found that only four out of the five analysed
museums have their own websites, but none of the four sells things through online shops.
However, the museums which do have websites post the items they offer for sale and the
interested visitors can order these items via email. At the date of our research two museums
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were offering virtual visitation. Also two of the museums in Baia Mare own Youtube
channels and Twitter accounts. All the four museums which have their own sites have
Facebook official accounts as well, and the Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art also has an
unofficial Facebook page. The information we collected in connection with the use of online
communication and distribution instruments by the five museums in Baia Mare are presented
in Table 1.
Table 1. The use of online communication and distribution instruments by the museums in Baia Mare
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